reports from the home front

Notes from Siesta

It has become apparent that I have less dark chocolate squirreled away than I ought. Perhaps, you would like to come here and hide some for me and thereby increase the stash while decreasing my likelihood of finding it with my eyes closed?

(Sidenote: This summer I read Barbara Brown Taylor’s recent book,Learning to Walk in the Dark. It dealt with many facets of darkness. Anyhow, just the other day, a fragment bubbled up and I closed my eyes to fold cloth diapers by touch. It was a lovely, simple challenge and departure from my normal way of being in the world.)

I am crushing on my boys, now that there is some respite from them crushing me. Summer’s almost gone, next week brings on full time kindergarden for the almost 6 year old and a whole new landscape of time for me and the boy on the verge of toddlerhood. New rhythms will be emerging, I feel ready to discern them and hopefully not be swept too far under as they give shape to our new normal.

I would like to show you so much that is here; the way the grape vines arc towards new anchor points, gravity be damned. And, the sunflower volunteer which is growing in leaps and bounds, much as Liam seems to be, in nearly the same spot as last year. Or, send you the delight of an unexpected mid day thunderous soaking that found us choosing a popcorn and peaches fueled dance party-my song choices at last-rather than wondering if we should go out and do..something.

But this is what I have settled on for our little moment together, today.

This morning, it looked like this in our backyard space…

I am letting go of this tried and true workhorse. Did you know new ones of twice the size cost less than we spend on beer some weeks? Good bye first world problem, hello first world solution! (Er, thank you developing world for providing the workforce and materials.)

I am entering a stir fry phase. Somebody buy me a wok (please)!

This boy has been blissfully entertaining himself for the last few weeks. He loves amending toys, particularly with the colors of metal. Here, he has been detailing their Snack Truck with his trusty silver Sharpie marker:

I gave him a bottle of bronze paint and he stayed busy for hours…

Post rainfall:

“I spend a lot of time looking at my mom like this recently, wondering how she dare put me down again when I really can’t walk, talk or see what she is doing on the counter top.”

Don’t worry, he still looks like this a lot, too…

Why is this post so difficult to make aesthetically pleasing? I am not sure, but My hammock is beckoning me like a siren and I can no longer resist.

I recently finished “the City of Joy” by Dominique Lapierre which is about the slums in India and really tells a lot about Indian culture and the very poor people who live there. It is actually an uplifting book even though it sounds depressing but it is quite long. A shorter and faster read that I also enjoyed is “Girl in Translation” by Jean Kwok.